“The legislation is designed to protect children... even against themselves”

Judge Paul Batty, QC

Mr Brook said that the girl was from a troubled background and the night she met Tataru she had ran away from home.

She had spent the evening wandering around York city centre, even going into a shop to get warm.

Tataru was put on the sex offenders' register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order restricting his behaviour around underage girls for 10 years.

He was originally put on bail, but when he told police last July that he wanted to use a plane ticket bought before his arrest to go on holiday to Romania, he was made to go back to York and remanded in custody.

Mr Parsons said: "It has been a salutary lesson. His wish now is to serve his sentence and go back to Romania where he has family and get on with his life."